Who is the highest-grossing actor of all time? Is it a proven A-lister like Tom Cruise? A reliable action star like Dwayne Johnson? Or maybe a Marvel leading man like Robert Downey Jr.? Based solely on the number of appearances in high-grossing titles, the most bankable name of all time is Stan Lee. Wait, that Stan Lee? He’s not an actor. Correct, he’s not. But his numerous MCU cameos in some of the most financially successful films of all time put him at the top of the list.
Opinions on whether Lee should actually count as the top-earner will vary, as his cameos rarely impact the films’ plots in any meaningful ways. But the fact that he’s there in the first place points to the extreme success of the MCU franchise as a whole (minus a few duds). As the original visionary behind so many iconic characters, Lee was essentially the face of Marvel throughout his life. His place atop the list represents the significant cultural impact of Marvel, and he’s cemented his place in pop culture history. But is Lee’s top spot safe? And just how much money has he raked in? Let’s take a look.
How Much Have Stan Lee’s Cameos Made?
Before we go any further, it should be clarified that there’s no one agreed-upon ranking for the top-earning stars. Some lists only count leading or major supporting roles. Others don’t take voice acting performances into consideration. But let’s look at the ranking that includes all cameos, as that’s the one that Stan Lee tops. Lee’s lifetime box office earnings total an impressive $30.6 billion. He appeared in every MCU film from Iron Man through Avengers: Endgame. Lee’s Avengers: Endgame cameo, filmed prior to but released after his passing, was the most profitable at $2.8 billion. He also cameoed in several non-MCU Marvel properties, such as X-Men and Fantastic Four, and three Spider-Man franchises (the Sam Raimi films, Amazing outings with Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland’s films).
That $30.6 billion lifetime record might seem safe, but Samuel L. Jackson isn’t that far behind. He ranks second at roughly $28.3 billion. When counting solely leading film roles, Jackson actually tops that list at $14.6 billion. Like Lee, most of Jackson’s biggest earners are MCU projects. However, Lee reached his total with far fewer films (50) than Jackson (144). That also means that Lee’s average gross of $611.2 million per title far outpaces Jackson’s $196.7 million. But Jackson’s catching up, and with only $2.3 billion to go, it’s entirely possible that he will pass Lee in the very near future. Put Nick Fury in a couple more roles, and we could have a new leader in the clubhouse.
Interestingly, John Ratzenberger ($18.5B) and Frank Welker ($17.5B) rank third and fourth. Their success is due primarily to their iconic voice acting performances (Pixar for Ratzenberger and Scooby-Doo! and Transformers for Welker). Like Lee, these two don’t seem like the most obvious contenders for the top of the list. But that just shows the power of animation as a medium and how it doesn’t always get the recognition it deserves.
Marvel as a Cultural Institution
Endgame outranked Avatar after its debut, but Avatar regained the number one spot due to re-releases.
When counting only leading stars, MCU faces hold the top six names on the list. As mentioned above, Samuel L. Jackson ranks number one with $14.6 billion. He’s followed by Scarlett Johansson ($14.5B), Robert Downey Jr. ($14.4B), Zoe Saldaña ($14.3B), Chris Pratt ($14.2B), and Chris Hemsworth ($12.2B). Each one of these stars has played a leading role in multiple MCU films. Saldaña even holds the distinction of being the only star to appear in all three of the top-earning films of all time (Avatar, Avengers: Endgame, and Avatar: The Way of Water).
None of this would have been possible without Stan Lee’s creation. He’s the face of Marvel, and Marvel is the face of our modern pop culture. Who better to sit at the top of the highest-grossing actors list than the Marvel visionary himself? Even if his time up there is running out, Samuel L. Jackson is a worthy successor. With big-budget blockbusters decreasing in frequency, we’ll likely never see a new face reach that level of box office heights. There’s no denying that Stan Lee shaped the worlds of comic books and superheroes, and we have the data to back that up.
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2025-03-16 01:34